where do i start?

First of all, Congratulations! It's so exciting! Yes, I was excited/ nervous to speak with them. The biggest advice I can give to you is that to really pay attention to how they treat you even during your tour. It's very indicative of that attention they're going to give you on your wedding day. Definitely search the boards for ideas of where people are getting married. If there is a certain 'feeling' you are going for (for example, banquet hall, mansion, multiple weddings, etc.) then ask all of us. We've been there before and can definitely point you in the right direction if it's something specific. Price ranges are also something that we can help with whether something is in the $90/pp or $180/pp.

Some questions:
Is there more than one wedding at a time?
How many choices do my guests get at cocktail hour?
At reception?
How is reception room set up?
If planning an outside CH, what happens if it rains?
Is there a bridal suite?
Price differences with different days of the week/ time, etc.
Do you get a bridal attendant the day of?
Coat check?
Valet?
Etc.
Have a wonderful time! This is one of the best parts of planning a wedding!

I wasn't nervous. I booked my hall in Oct of 2004 and my wedding is June 25, 2006. So booking early is no big deal.

The most important questions are,
1. Guest Minimum, If you are not having that many people like me, you won't a low minimum. My hall was 100, and I am inviting 160.
2. What type of alcohol and beer they have. My family is very picky, so it is nice when they give you many options.

3. What time does the reception start. Most halls have a set time that they start. I didn't book one hall because the time they gave me was to late for a Sunday.

4.Food options, and if there is a food tasting. You want to see how much they offer your guests for dinner, and cocktail hour. You also want to see if you could come in for a tasting. A lot of halls will either give you one before you book, or right before your wedding.

5.What the cost per person is, and you want them to add the tax and gratuity in to give you the exact price.

6.How many people the hall holds.

7. How much a child is, and how much it is to feed vendors.

8. Also, you want to look around and see how big the dance floor is, how big the cocktail room is (Is there enough chairs for you guest to sit). Look at the bridal suite. See if guests bathrooms are on the same floor as the hall. If you have any one in a wheel chair or has a hard time walking. This may pertain to you.

Good Luck!!! I went to about 20 halls on LI, if you need any help, FM me.

You should also ask how many people can they accomodate and what is their minimum number that you have to guarantee. Also, if there are certain things like chair covers, if they are extra.

It's tough when you go to the first one but, most of the people you meet with are anticipating all the questions you are going to ask so they answer a lot of them before you even ask them. Just don't go to too many places in one day because they all start to look the same.

Congrats Santina!

My biggest advice would be to get EVERYTHING in writing!

Even if you think its something thats guaranteed GET IT IN WRITING! Once its in writing, they will not say 'We didn't say that', everything will be crystal clear from the beginning of your planning stage till you get married.

Before you go to any vendor: Prepare all your questions, look up questions to ask each vendor.

You might want to get a Wedding Planner/Organizer type of book (which I got from borders - its the best book ever, so helpful), and start printing out ideas/pictures you see online you like. Start taking notes of details. This way when you go to your vendor, you won't miss anything.


HTH!

I bumped a thread named advice for you. I took those questions with me everywhere

Thanks soo much girls. I feel alot more prepared now. I guess I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed but hopefully it will get better once we start planning

Definitely get everything in writing.

Also, some things that were important to us:

1. How often are the cocktail hour stations replenished? (you want continual replenishment, sometimes they try to save money by only refilling dishes once they are totally empty, or by not refilling at all)

2. If you have a sit down dinner, how many waiters per table? You really want at least one waiter per table.

3. Will there be drink service to the tables? (waiters taking orders, so guests don't have to go to the bar if they don't want to)

4. Is all the cooking/baking done on premises? Can I see the kitchen?

5. Who will be here the day of my wedding? (you want to make sure the person who will be working with you through the planning will be there at least for the beginning of the wedding in case anything goes wrong)

6. what is your down payment? What is your payment plan? What is your cancellation policy? (make sure this is in the contract in detail !)

7. How does your contract work? can I reserve the date for a few days before I put money down? (I found this to be an indicator of what their attitudes are. One place insisted that we give them money or they wouldn't hold the date, and that place really gave me a factory/business feel where I didn't feel that I was important as a bride, but rather just as a money pile. It was very high pressure sales, which made me very uncomfortable. The place I booked told us we could have a week to think and bring our parents around, and to just call if we needed more time. They were very relaxed about it and really treated us like human beings. I think that's going to make a real difference as we go through the planning.)

8. Do I have to use your recommended vendors? What do I get for using them? (some places give you discounts, etc)


Best of luck! If you need recommendations to get you started, just ask! I know I went to about 10 places, and others here have been to even more.

Congratulations and happy planning!!


Besides this site...check out:

www.receptionhalls.com

www.weddingsitesandservices.com

Congrats and welcome to LIW!

the first thing you should do is go buy yourself a copy of Long Island Weddings magazine. it helped me a great deal!

just wanted to say congrats on starting the planning. i think the other ladies have answered your questions perfectly! best of luck!

Congrats! I just got advice that I could have used a couple of months ago from this post!
I wish I had found this site sooner!!

I just wanted to add that most halls will negotiate the price if you ask, and/or throw in sweet extras so don't be afraid to ask.